Future Crimes How the death penalty will affect crimes in the future
[[#|General]] Detterence
is when punishment deters criminals from committing crimes
Specific Detterence
refers to the inability of convicted criminals to commit further crimes as a result of their punishment
Facts
In 1973 Isaac Ehrlich employed a new kind of analysis which gave results showing that for every inmate who was executed, 7 lives were spared because others were deterred from committing murder.
States with high murder rates would have even higher rates if they did not use the death penalty.
Ernest van [[#|den Haag]], Professor of Jurisprudence, wrote: "Even though statistical demonstrations are not conclusive, and perhaps cannot be, capital punishment is likely to deter more than other punishments because people fear death more than anything else. They fear most death deliberately inflicted by [[#|law]] and scheduled by the courts. Whatever people fear most is likely to deter most. Hence, the threat of the death penalty may deter some murderers who otherwise might not have been deterred. And surely the death penalty is the only penalty that could deter prisoners already serving a life sentence and tempted to kill a guard, or offenders about to be [[#|arrested]] and facing a life sentence. Perhaps they will not be deterred. But they would certainly not be deterred by anything else. We owe all the protection we can give to [[#|law]] enforcers exposed to [[#|special]] risks."
Public opinion polls show that over 70% of the adult population would like to see a return of hanging for first [[#|degree]] murder.
[[#|General]] Detterence
Specific Detterence
Facts